Two Hours
by Valkryie Cullen
Summary: Denmark 1st-person. On April 9, 1940, Denmark was annexed by Nazi-Germany. For the former King of Scandinavia, this profound defeat was too difficult for him to swallow.


I don't own Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya does. In the past couple of months I've become a really big fan of Denmark, and all the Nordics in general. Since World War II plays such an integral role in this series, I did some research about the countries you don't often hear about. I knew Finland joined the Axis, and Sweden was "technically" neutral, but it was the circumstances with Denmark that caught my eye. So I hope you enjoy this Denmark POV fanfic. Just to note that Germany is just a little OOC here, but I wanted to make this as intense as possible.

Note: An extra thank you to ShadowOfHerSelf for correcting some of the Danish here.

* * *

Two Hours

* * *

The cellar was dark, but I found my wine quickly.

I didn't dare look at my surroundings as I snatched bottles from off the rack to look at, and check the dates. I had such a horrible headache, and my stomach and heart were twisted up in what felt like hideous knots. It was such an uncomfortable feeling…I truly _hated_ it.

…Ah, here we go. Two bottles, well-dated and looking so pure. I holstered them under my arm and headed back for the stairs. Before I could ascend them…I couldn't help myself. I looked out over my cellar, and the many bottles of wines stacked up in long, narrow rows. This was my house…my kingdom.

But it was no longer mine.

I went back upstairs, walking through the large but incredibly empty kitchen to my even bigger and equally empty dining room. I set both bottles down upon the table with a sharp thump, when something caught my eyes. A yellow, crumbled up piece of telegram paper. I knew what was written on it; I'd read it over and over again so many times, and the blow was equally harsh each time. _Lort…_

I left the dining room and entered my main foyer to look out one of the large, church-like windows. My home _was_ so very big…but I hadn't changed residence in over six hundred years. This place had seemed most suited for the Kelmar Union, when my Nordic brethren came under my domain, lived in this house. We all lived here, and this large mansion could barely contain us all.

Then…then Sweden left me, and he took Finland with him. I'd thought I could get by from that, especially with Norway by my side. But Sweden, ever the _stodder_, had to go and take _him_ away from me as well with that accursed Treaty of Kiel. We hadn't even started that damned war, and yet we lost so much from it!

Just like…now.

I heard footsteps behind me, and I abruptly spun around. The tension inside me eased somewhat at the three youthful faces staring uncertainly at me. I stared back at them, feeling a vice close in on my throat. Everyone had left. Once word had spread, all of the servants had fled my home and into the unknown. How far could they get without detection?

But these three…the _children_ standing in front of me hadn't fled yet. They were no doubt uncertain of what to do.

I said nothing to them. I _couldn't_. It was so hard to be strong in that moment because I was so _angry_, and my heart was full of pain. What could I do or say for them? Nothing…because I couldn't protect them anymore.

No more than I could protect my own people.

So I said nothing. Not at first, anyway. I glanced more out my window, and up the road leading deep into the countryside. I saw nothing and no one. I looked once at the children behind me, bundled up in jackets with meager bags of some of their belongings. I walked past them, all three of them. Then I stopped, and turned around. With a slight incline of my head, I directed them to follow me.

I led them through our house—no, not _our_ house anymore—to the backdoor in the kitchen. We left the house and started up the small dirt path marked in our backyard. I could hear them walking single-file behind me, and I didn't glance at them. I knew they would come.

We walked only a short distance, to a waiting storage house that was just out of view from the mansion. I fished into my pocket and pulled out the key. Unlocking the front door, I glanced inside and saw a cloud of dust, and unkempt furniture. I hadn't used this building in years; the furniture looked Victorian. But it was necessary now.

I turned around, and finally faced them. I knew all three of these children standing before me. The one leading them stood tallest, his platinum silver hair well-kept on his head, and violet-blue eyes staring at me not with fear, but with full-knowledge of what was going on.

_Iceland_.

Behind him, another boy was coming up. He looked so _different_ that he always drew stares. Despite the blue-green eyes that met mine, he had the look and coloring of the Inuit people that inhabited his land; the same black hair and bronze skin.

_Greenland_.

And…behind them was a smaller girl, hugging a sheep plush toy to her. Looking at her was incredibly painful. The pale-violet eyes and the waist-length ash-blonde hair, she looked very much like Norway. He was, after all, the first to discover her.

_Faroe_.

There was so much I wanted to say to these three, but I couldn't find the words. They'd come to me with Norway, as part of _his_ territories. When Sweden claimed Norway, he didn't claim these children and Norway had to leave them with me. At times, I wondered if Sweden had done that _intentionally_. But that didn't matter now.

I didn't need to say anything to make my point. They all knew what my instructions were.

Greenland was the first. He walked past Iceland to enter this small house. I stopped him before he could enter though, and crushed him in a tight hug. _Min Gud…_this hurt me so much! And I loved this child so much! I remembered…when Norway had come to me with him, claiming that Iceland had "found" him first. He was so unlike any other country I had seen, and I couldn't help but spoil him and dote upon him. I knew he felt like I was smothering him—all of them did in fact—but I loved having him with me.

Now…

I let him go, and let out a shaky sigh. Greenland stared at me with his knowing eyes. "_Qujanaq_."

I stiffened, but I forced a smile. "_Velbekomme_." I quickly leaned down and kissed him on the head, and I felt him stiffen with irritation. I didn't care; I quickly ushered him into the house, unable to bear anymore goodbyes with him.

Iceland deliberately stood back, and I knew he wanted to talk to me. But, I wasn't in a mood for talking. It was hard even to hang onto my smile as Faroe approached. "_Danmørk_." She spoke my name in her native tongue. "We'll be okay. I know we will…"

I reached out for her and picked her up straight into my arms, hugging her so tightly to me that I might crush her bones. She hugged me back as much as she could, her head buried into my neck. She didn't cry…and it only made _me_ want to. I still couldn't believe that all of _this_…that this had happened to us. And Faroe was so precious to me as well. It wasn't often for me to see female countries, and she was one of the few girls between all of us. I couldn't help but love her…and want to hang onto her.

It was an impossibility now, though.

I set her back down, and caressed her cheek. Still, she didn't cry but the sadness in her eyes was so blatant. "_Jeg elsker dig_." I looked at Greenland, who was standing just inside the entryway. "And I mean that for all of you."

"_Eg elski teg_." Faroe leaned up to give me a kiss on the cheek. "And I mean that for you."

She went into the house without another word, and disappeared just beyond Greenland. He stood there for a long moment, before he slowly turned to follow her.

Iceland started to walk around me and into the house, as though to avoid a hug and a kiss. I grabbed his shoulder and stopped him, and he looked at me calmly. I slid the key into his palm. "Lock the door behind you, and stay away from the windows. Wait here a little while. If I…" I stopped for a moment, and swallowed. "When they come, they'll be coming to the main house first. I want you to take your siblings and run away from here. And if…if you don't see me again, go and stay with Norway. Your brother will watch over all of you."

Iceland's fingers closed around the key. He looked at me once more in silence for a moment before he nodded. "I understand. But what do you plan on doing?"

I didn't answer him. To his undoubted irritation I quickly pulled him into a hug. I knew that he had grown; not even I knew how many times we fought over his independence. But, I was supposed to watch over him for twenty-five extra years. Now…

I pulled away from Iceland and hurried him inside. Hand on the doorknob, he turned once and looked at me once more. "Be careful, _Danmark_."

Then he closed the door abruptly. I heard it lock, and I knew they would be safe in there for the time being. I reached up and traced the side of the door. "_Tak_, Ice."

I quickly hurried back into the main house. It was such a shitty means of protection, but what else could I do? Nothing, that was what. I was helpless…and defeated.

I quickly poured a full cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp. It burned its way down my throat and I coughed rather violently. I slammed the cup back down, though, and refilled the glass. It occurred to me, very briefly, that I had set out _two _cups for the wine, even though I'd intended myself to be the only consumer of it.

My eyes found the telegram again. Perhaps it was because I was a glutton for punishment, but I snatched up the small note and smoothed it out. I held it up to the hanging light overhead and reread it over and over again.

"_Cancel your battle plans. (STOP) We have surrendered to the Nazis. (STOP)Germany will be arriving to debrief you. (STOP) Give him your full cooperation. (STOP)_

_- At request of your King, Christian X"_

I crumbled the telegram once more in my fist, and let it drop into a ball on the table. I poured myself another full glass of wine and drank it down. Yes, at the request of my King…_my_ King…

I had been overrun by the Nazis. The fact that I had to bend over to them—to _him_—was quite revolting. And I didn't want to deal with it sober; that was for certain.

* * *

_The soil was black. I don't think I'd ever seen black soil before. It was the most beautiful land I'd ever seen._

_I slid off one of my gloves and dipped my hand into the dirt. I squished it between my fingers and sucked in a breath. I couldn't believe it. This place, and this land…it was all so __**perfect**__._

"_Danmark."_

_I snapped to attention immediately at this voice and the soil fell out of my hand. "__**Ja**__, Norge?"_

_I heard footsteps behind me as a shadow fell over my back. "We've found her."_

_I smiled, and brushed my hand off on my pants. "__**God**__." I pulled my glove back on and rose to face the country that stood behind me. He wore a fierce expression on his pretty face, but it was not an uncommon expression. After all, we were Vikings…and we were fierce. "Where is she?"_

"_Over here." Norway turned and started to walk away. I followed him, and we only walked a short distance. _

_She was kneeling on the ground, her head hung low. A dirty noose was tied around her neck, and the remaining stretch of rope was tied to a stake thrust into the ground. Fingers were digging into the earth as though she were clinging to it for dear life. As though if she were to let go, she would float away into the sky._

"_She didn't come easily," Norway told me quietly. "I was in a perilous battle with her for a long time before I could subdue her."_

"_You were nearly defeated by a __**woman**__?" I almost laughed at this. "Where is your pride, Norge?"_

_Norway glared at me. "She is skilled in magic as well. I wasn't expecting that."_

"_Ah well. It doesn't matter now."It truly didn't matter, especially since we had won. Knowing she was no longer a threat, I walked straight over to her and knelt down in front of her. "__**Dia dhuit**__, Ireland."_

_She flinched violently, as though she were startled that I knew Gaelic, her native tongue. Perhaps to make her more at ease, I continued to address her in this way. "You belong to us now. We have claimed full control over your island, and we've made claim to your house. You will welcome us, and abide to our wishes. We have proven we are stronger than you, so resistance is futile. Now, don't make this any harder on yourself, or your people."_

_Ireland said nothing for a long time. For a moment I wondered if she could understand me when her auburn head suddenly rose. Dark green were glaring at me with more hatred than I'd ever seen in a female's eyes before._

"_**Conablach muc**__," she swore in Gaelic, her face twisted with hate. "Mark my word…there will be a day! One day! When you have to suffer through the humiliation of __**submission**__!"_

_I was so struck by her unexpected oath that I didn't know what to say. I simply sat there and gaped at her._

* * *

I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep. I wasn't even aware of how much I had drunken. But I was startled out of my sleep when a hand slammed down upon the table right beside my head.

In an instant I was awake, and fully standing. I was immediately dizzy, no doubt from standing up so fast, and the alcohol I had consumed. A quick glance at the table showed an empty bottle, and the second not even opened.

"Hello, Denmark."

This voice felt like a knife in my throat. I waved a hand dismissively as I summed up the young man standing in front of me. "Hello, Germany."

Germany was in full SS uniform, and his expression hid all of his emotions. For some reason, just to see him so cool and calm ignited a fire of anger inside of me. "You're just in time," I told him, approaching him rather carefully. "I'm _drunk_. Or rather, I _think_ I am."

Germany said nothing for a moment, but his eyes looked towards the table at the wine and at the telegram. "So you've received word?"

"Of course I have. I am to be a most pleasant _host_ for you as you annex me into your empire." I turned away from him and began to saunter back to my chair.

But…something at the window behind my chair caught my eye. I saw a pair of violet-blue eyes peering in, and their presence shocked me so deeply I almost faltered. _Ice._

_Iceland_ was standing at the window, watching us. The little idiot! I told them to flee once Germany arrived!

I quickly spun around and retook my seat, revealing nothing on my face and praying that Germany didn't see Iceland. "Why don't you sit down?"

Germany slowly took a seat at the table. He didn't look at the window behind me, and he didn't seem to notice my sudden change in demeanor. "Thank you for welcoming me," he began. "I must add that I don't see your children around. Where are they?"

"…Upstairs," I said vaguely, tapping my fingers on the table. I'd wanted to correct him and tell him that those three were more my siblings than my kids, but I didn't. "Do you want to shake them out of bed?"

Germany stared at me for a moment before he coughed discreetly and shook his head. "Forgive me for being confused," he said, changing the subject. "You say that you are welcoming me, and yet you are in uniform. And isn't that your axe against the wall?" he folded his hands upon the table and narrowed his eyes at me. "You look prepared for battle."

My throat felt dry, and I wanted another hard drink of alcohol. But…for all of my anger, I knew I had to be careful. And I had to abide to my boss's wishes. "I apologize," I said. For the life of me, I couldn't even sound sincere. "I felt the…disturbance late last night. And so I did what any soldier _would_ do, and donned my uniform to defend my civilians. I got…_word_." I jabbed a finger at the crumbled up telegram. "But it did surprise me…greatly."

"I can understand your consternation," Germany said slowly. "You are, after all, one of the oldest countries in Europe, and you commanded a massive kingdom at the height of your power. I can see that this surrender is not easy for you."

When he started speaking sympathetically to me, a bubble of laughter burst out of me. And I continued laughing all throughout his speech. I didn't know _why_ I was laughing; maybe it was the alcohol. Because there was nothing funny about my situation at all. "_Ja_. My surrender…after _two hours_ of fighting." My fists clenched into tight knots upon the table. "Two hours. **TWO HOURS**!" I was shouting the two words now. "I am the King of Scandinavia! I am a VIKING! I do not surrender after _two fucking hours_! Especially at a battle that hadn't even started! What will historians say of me in the future? That I _pussied_ out to the Nazis, that's what! And to _you_!" I pointed at Germany now, not caring if he was offended. "You! Some punk _kid_ throwing temper tantrums! Did _I _sign the Treaty of Versailles? Did I cause your hyperinflation? Your unemployment? _**NEJ**_!" I punched my table as hard as I could, but the sting of the blow rushed straight up my arm. "So WHY have you done this to me? For what quarrel do you have with me? Why could you not just _leave me alone_?"

Once again, Germany fell silent. My ragged breathing was the only sound heard in the room. It occurred to me, very briefly, how lucky I was that Germany had come alone without his SS. It was the promise of the telegram, after all. But…if he had come with his soldiers, I would most certainly be flogged for insulting him in front of them.

But, he was calm. He wasn't even offended by my outburst. He waited for me to calm down somewhat before he spoke. "I do appreciate the cooperation of your government," he said. "And you must realize the actions of your king. I am a greater army than you, Denmark, and I have Russia's Red Army on my side. England and France speak against me, but they do nothing. It would have been futile for you to resist me." He paused before he continued. "You would've ended up like Poland."

"So I am to be grateful," I seethed. "That Russia and you didn't _double-team_ me like you did that pretty-boy?"

Anger leapt into Germany's face very briefly, before it was expressionless again. "I understand that you are angry, so I will not punish you for your insults. However, I feel you must understand my strength. I have Italy as my ally—"

"Like I'm scare of that _coward_!" I barked.

"—and I'm reaching out to Japan, who has become a superpower in Asia," Germany continued as though he didn't hear me. "And I'm claiming all of Europe under my grasp. So, there's no need for you to be angry about your defeat at my hands. England and France are powerless to stop me, and America is ignoring my advance. There's nobody who can stop me."

He didn't sound pompous or egotistical. Just truthful, and incredibly sure of himself. That made me even angrier. "What do you want? You won! You have my territory and my house! What the fuck else do you want from me?"

"Your compliance," Germany said patiently. "Because you are angry with me, and you are looking down upon me. Even after I remind you of the circumstances of the world, you do not understand my power. You are the King of Scandinavia, _ja_. But there is no one in Scandinavia now who can stand against me."

"_Finland's_ only siding with your through Russia!" I snapped. "But even _that_ occupation is falling apart! And Sweden's neutral! Those don't count as accomplishments!"

"Still," Germany said. "There is no one in Scandinavia who can stop me. Not you, not Finland, not Sweden…and not Norway."

I laughed off each country he clicked off his list. But…the final country. That one name made the laughter died in my throat.

All of a sudden…my body went cold, though it was April and my house was warm. A chill of horror overtook me and I gaped at Germany. It took me several long moments to speak. "W-What did you say?"

"_Operation Weserübung_, which was an amazing success," Germany clarified for me. "I invaded both of you at the exact same time."

"N…Norge?" I said the name more to myself than to him. I looked down at my table, and my fists relaxed against the surface.

"I have to admit, though," Germany continued. "That Norway _did_ put up more of a fight than you did." For the first time since he'd arrived and woke me up, Germany sounded smug. "But in the end it was futile for him. I _am_ rather proud of myself. This was the first time I ever annexed two countries in the same day—"

I stood up with such violent force that my chair flew back and smacked against the window. Germany stopped talking, and slowly rose from his own chair, his eyes on me.

I glared with bitter hatred into his own, my fists clenching at my sides. "If you've done anything to hurt him," I snarled. "I'm going to fucking kill you. Do you understand me?"

Germany was once again silent, and I wanted to scream at him. What did he do to Norway? Norway couldn't have…

"…_put up more of a fight than you did."_

Germany had said that. I surrendered so shamefully and this was the result for me. But what happened to Norway?

He was still silent, but he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Without breaking eye-contact with me he calmly placed the object onto the table.

I looked away from him and down as he drew his hand away. When I saw the object, a cold numbing fear encased my body and for the first time in…I don't even know how long, tears leapt into my eyes.

It was the Nordic cross. But not just _any_ Nordic cross. It was a hairclip. The _exact same_ hairclip Norway always wore in his hair.

My hand was trembling violently as I picked up the hairclip and my fingers curled around it. _Min Gud_…it was his. It was Norway's, and if Norway had continued fighting before Germany got this… "_De bedes nr…_"

"Do you understand now?" Germany asked.

It was a mistake for him to say that. He realized it too late, as I did. My body was acting of its own accord as my right hand swung back and grabbed my axe. "_**STODDER**_!" I shrieked, swinging the axe right at Germany's face. "_**DØØØØØØØØ**_!"

Germany jumped back away from me, but my blow was too close. A red line formed across his left cheek and blood began gushing down his face.

He seemed stunned by my actions, and that gave me the advantage. Still screaming, I continued to swing my axe at him, aiming to lop off his accursed head. And I was moving too fast for him, even while drunk; I kept seeing him try and pull out his gun but I wasn't giving him the chance.

As he stumbled back, finally managing to pull his pistol out, I threw the axe full-force at him. He to duck to avoid it and I rushed forward to tackle him, just as the axe smacked into the wall on the other side of the room.

We began wrestling very violently on the floor, one of my hands curled around the barrel of the gun while my other punched at Germany's face. But he was a soldier, well-trained and very strong. He was fighting _me_ quite furiously as well, and his fist struck _my_ face more than mine did to him. The blows, in combination with the alcohol, made me nauseas.

I had no choice. I stopped trying to punch him and squeezed my hand around his throat. Germany reflexively had to stop punching me and grabbed my wrist, as our other hands still fought over the gun.

I didn't know what I was doing. I _wasn't_ supposed to be doing this, especially to an invading country my boss had surrendered. And my people would most surely suffer for my actions. But I couldn't stop…and I didn't want to.

But I did. As we struggled, I felt the familiar sensation of the barrel of a gun jab hard against my temple. "Get off him."

The fight stopped abruptly from the both of us, but I didn't let Germany go. I looked out of the corner of my eye and I saw the familiar SS uniform, and the albino eyes glaring at me. The anger was still fresh in me, but I relented. I let Germany go and slid off of him, the gun still pressed to my head.

Germany sat up, nursing his left cheek as he gagged a little from my choking him. "Aniki, it was agreed I would come here alone!"

"I know." Prussia kept the gun trained on me even after I got off Germany. "But I'm older, West, and I know Denmark better than you. After this boss surrendered to us that way, I knew he was _not_ going to welcome you."

I sat there on the floor very carefully, realizing too late the gravity of the situation. I looked beyond Prussia and my heart rate accelerated. The SS was storming in my house! At least twenty soldiers were stomping through my house, through each room and tossing aside all my furniture as though everything were an obstacle in their way!

"The children are upstairs!" Germany announced, climbing to his feet. For once he didn't look so calm. For the first time since he arrived _I _was on the receiving end of anger as he grabbed a fistful of my hair. "_Hurensohn_," he growled at me.

"_Herr _Germany!" an SS officer rushed into the room. "The upstairs are empty, but we found a house in the backyard!"

"Search it!" Germany barked and the cold fear returned to me. Iceland hadn't fled when I told him to. What was going to happen to them?

Germany glared down at me then. "Are you going to cooperate now?" he hissed at me. "Because if you do, I _might_ accommodate your children in my house!"

…I see. He really _was_ going to punish me for this. And if I continued acting up and didn't roll-over like the good-little country I was supposed to be at this point, Iceland, Greenland, and Faroe would suffer for it if they got caught. My Nordic pride protested this injustice, but I bit down on my lower lip hard. I couldn't afford them getting hurt because of me.

"What shall we do about this?" Prussia asked, calmly holstering his gun. He seemed content that I was no longer a threat.

"The _Fuhrer _doesn't need to know about this," Germany said, letting go of my hair. He yanked one of my arms up though and slapped a pair of handcuffs over my wrist. "King Christian X has given his full compliance. I'm not going to punish him because this _dummkopf_ acted on his own."

"…Fair enough." Prussia looked around himself before he saw the wine still sitting on the table. His face lit up at this. "This is a nice place though, West. And the…amenities seem very worth it as well." He walked over to the table and picked up the unopened bottle.

"Don't forget, we're still on duty," Germany said. "We will not set a good example if we are drunk on the job."

Prussia looked a little disappointed, but he tucked the bottle into his jacket. "_Ja_, I know."

I couldn't believe they were having such a casual conversation while they gutted my house looking for my siblings. It seemed so…_inhuman_ to me. At the same time, I had brief flashbacks of the many times in my many years of life when _I _conquered a country, and my own nonchalant attitude about it all.

"…_there will be a day! One day! When you have to suffer through the humiliation of __**submission**__!"_

Was it a curse placed upon me for everything bad I've done in my life? That I would meet defeat in such a humiliating way? That I had to yield to _Nazis_…these crazed individuals so focused on race and deeming the rest of us as impure?

"Germany!"

An SS officer hurried into the room, and bent over to catch his breath. I couldn't see his expression, but with his urgency…I knew what news he brought.

"Where are the children?" Germany asked.

"T-They…" the soldier looked up then. And I saw_ fear_ in his face. "They're gone! That spare house is empty, and so is the rest of the house! We found a freshly broken path in the woods, but the dogs haven't turned up anything! I-It's like they were spirited away!"

They got away? Iceland got Greenland and Faroe away, even after wasting time here to spy on us?

"_Scheiße!_" Germany snapped, ripping the hat off his own head and throwing it to the floor.

I stared at him for a long moment. Suddenly, I barked with laughter. Then, it overcame me completely and I was laughing hysterically at him. Germany seethed at me, and finished putting the handcuffs on me, but I couldn't stop laughing. It was all so _funny_ to me! I was defeated and reduced to nothing, but he didn't get _any_ of my territories! No, they had run away and they couldn't find them!

Oh…it was hard! I was a defeated nation, cowardly surrendering two hours after being invaded. But they didn't get my siblings! They didn't t have _that_ piece of victory from me! Iceland, Greenland, and Faroe were beyond their reach and they would have to _scramble_ to try and catch them!

I continued to laugh at Germany until a blow landed upon the back of my head; no doubt the butt of a gun. And I spiraled into a darkness that seemed like a metaphor for my life.

* * *

- _Operation Weserübung_ was a military operation of Nazi-Germany, which was the invasion of both Denmark and Norway. In the early morning hours of April 9, 1940, the German army invaded both countries at the exact same time. The intention was to prevent the Allied Powers from claiming Denmark and Norway as allies, and thus use their territories to counter-combat the Axis powers. Though Denmark initially offered resistance against the Nazis, King Christian X felt that further fighting would create a similar situation in his country as to what happened with the Invasion of Poland in 1939. So, he ordered the surrender of his army two hours after the fighting commenced. Despite what he'd meant by his surrender, Christian X's choice of surrender has created a lot of shame in Denmark.

- Norway did indeed put up more resistance to the Nazis, and never officially surrendered, the same as Poland. Truthfully the fighting in Norway lasted for another two months before the country was overrun. Thus Norway is technically counted as part of the Allied countries, whereas Denmark is not historically counted on either side. In my story I took some liberties with Germany's claims of victory over Norway, although I feel that scene can be interpreted many different ways.

- Although Denmark _was_ annexed by Germany, the Axis Powers were unable to claim any of his territories. The Faroe Islands and Greenland immediately sought the aid of the Allied countries, and England quickly took Faroe under his wing. Iceland intended to stay neutral, as with Sweden, but England forcibly occupied the island with the belief that Iceland would be vulnerable either way to the Nazis. Greenland, however, was mostly ignored by the Allies and was not offered assistance until after America joined the Allies. America then quickly built Air Force bases in Greenland, and then so all of Denmark's territories were protected during the war. Of course, after the war America offered five million dollars to Denmark to have Greenland, but Denmark said no.

- Iceland _was_ technically an independent country by the time World War II started. However, he signed an agreement with Denmark in 1919 which allowed the Dane to claim Iceland as part of his kingdom for twenty-five years, with the understanding that both sides would determine if Iceland could handle being independent at the end of those twenty-five years. The end came in 1944, with Denmark still occupied by the Nazis. Iceland therefore took it upon himself to declare his own independence from Denmark.

I hoped you enjoyed this story. It was a bit of a departure from the light-heartedness of _Sing To Me_, but I definitely wanted to give this a try. Thanks for reading!


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